NEW IBERIA — For the last nine months, a New Iberia mother has been deployed to Kuwait with the Army.
Since then, both mother and son have been counting down the days until they could be together again and that happened today. Four-year-old Makai Benjamin went to school, thinking it was a normal day.
"Momma!" Benjamin yelled as Marquisha Arceneaux came through his classroom door.
"He knew I was gone with the Army, and was waiting for me to get back home," Arceneaux said.
Arceneaux landed in Baton Rouge early morning, her son's school was her first stop.
"This is my mommy." Benjamin introduced her to the class.
Arceneaux says she has been a Specialist 88M Truck Driver for the Army for eight years. This was her first time away from her son.
"Last year was my first time deploying, to Kuwait for nine months, it was pretty long," Arceneaux said.
The mother says she left early in November for training. Since then she and her son, have only seen each other through video calls.
"I'm grateful that I was able to have a great support system, there was a lot of single mothers out there, and it was tough. The biggest thing is having a support system that are there for you 100 percent so you don't have to worry about anything," Arceneaux said.
"I love seeing you," Benjamin said as he hugged his mom. The four year old says, they have some serious catching up to do.
"Play with my toys, build a house with my blocks," Makai Benjamin said.
Benjamin also tells KATC he plans to play basketball with his mom.
